Research — Slice F: Multi-Context Extensibility + Strategic Remediations
> Mission: slice-f-multi-context-extensibility-01KRX5C8 > Companion: plan.md | spec.md
This document records the Phase-0 research input for Slice F. Most of the research was already executed by architect-alphonso post-merge of Mission B and lives in the gitignored work/ directory. This file references those artifacts and captures the binding plan-time decisions distilled from them.
1. Source research artifacts (gitignored)
| Artifact | Contents | Used for |
|---|---|---|
work/mission-b-post-merge-review.md | Mission B closure audit | Identifying the absorbed-remediation candidates |
work/remediation-mission-debrief.md | Per-finding rationale (HIGH-1 .. LOW-3, INFO-1) | Spec §"Verbatim References"; plan §1 component changes |
work/ratchet-coherence-audit.md | 5-axis architectural model (axes A/B/C/D/E + cross-cut process); 26-gate inventory; Gap-A1 .. Gap-A8 | Plan §1.5 + §1.6 (burn-down model + symbol-level gate); WP12 FR-300 (5-axis README); contract-round-trip-frontmatter.md mechanism |
work/mission-c-slice-f-scope-proposal.md | 12-WP decomposition, 4 lanes, dependency graph, risk register | plan §3 ATDD landing plan, plan §4 sequencing & risks, plan §1 WP table |
work/process-gap-1-contract-round-trip.md | Why the human-only Step 3.5 isn't enough | contracts/contract-round-trip-frontmatter.md FR-140 design |
work/process-gap-2-no-dead-modules.md | Module-level vs symbol-level dead-code | FR-120 / FR-121 design |
The spec embeds verbatim extracts from these documents in its §"Verbatim References" section so the spec is self-contained and committable. This research file points the planner / reviewer at the originals for fuller context.
2. Predecessor mission (Mission B)
Mission B (charter-mediated-doctrine-selection-01KRTZCA) shipped the selection layer of three-layer governance: selected_<kind> / required_<kind> parity across 8 kinds, the activation registry, mission-type profiles. Slice F builds on top — adding the DRG layer, the scoping layer, and the workflow layer.
Key Mission B artefacts Slice F reuses (per C-009):
- 8-kind plural-naming union semantics
DoctrineSelectionConfig.selected_<kind>/OrgCharterPolicy.required_<kind>ActivationEntry,MissionTypeProfile- The runtime → charter → doctrine boundary (
test_runtime_charter_doctrine_boundary.py) - The byte-stability allow-list mechanism (
_OPTIONAL_EMPTY_OMIT_KEYS)
Mission B's planning artifacts (../charter-mediated-doctrine-selection-01KRTZCA/) are the structural precedent for this mission.
3. HiC adjudication record (2026-05-18)
The spec records three binding HiC decisions at §5a (constraints C-003, C-004, C-005):
| HiC § | Decision | Where it binds |
|---|---|---|
| 5a.1 | DRIFT-1 alias deleted in 3.2.x (no DeprecationWarning, no sunset) | C-003 → FR-100..FR-103 → WP04 |
| 5a.2 | Burn-down policy is charter-pinned (binding) | C-004 → FR-303(a) → WP01 + WP12 |
| 5a.3 | HIGH-3 auth.transport descoped — ADR + ticket only | C-005 → FR-200..FR-202 → WP12 |
These need no re-debate. Plan-time decisions in plan.md §6 extend the record with 6 question resolutions + 2 architect-side calls.
4. Plan-time decisions distilled into binding state
- Q4 — Skill deployment: surface, don't overwrite. NOT this mission.
- Q5 —
glossary.prompts+glossary.rendering: DELETE both (DM-01KRX6N0YAFBY7MTJC0CN3D3E4). Combined withdoctrine.templates.repository, this is the FR-113 same-PR shrinkage 10 → 7. - Q6 — Forward-only scope (C-002 binds).
- Q7 — Forward-staging convention destination:
src/specify_cli/upgrade/migrations/README.md. - NEW-1 — Org-DRG source mechanism: local-path only in this mission.
- NEW-2 — Workflow back-compat default: permanent (opt-in, not migration-required).
- ARCH-1 — Workflow registry location:
src/specify_cli/next/_internal_runtime/workflow_registry.py. - ARCH-2 —
__all__scope:src/charter/+src/kernel/only.
5. Architectural model (5 axes from ratchet-coherence-audit §3)
The post-Mission-B audit identified that the 26 active architectural gates collectively encode a single 5-axis model:
| Axis | Invariant | Slice F adds |
|---|---|---|
| A — Layer direction | kernel ← doctrine ← charter ← specify_cli; mediated boundaries | Org-DRG loader (charter); CharterScope (charter); workflow registry (specify_cli/next) — all preserve the layering |
| B — Surface completeness | Declared surfaces match implemented reality (facades, schemas, contracts) | FR-140 contract round-trip backstop; FR-120 symbol-level dead-code gate (the __all__ walk) |
| C — Closed-vocabulary integrity | Operator-authored tokens belong to closed sets; SSOT byte-identity | FR-302 glossary canonical promotion (Slice F terms); reuse of Mission B 8-kind set (C-009) |
| D — Lifecycle presence | Every shipped module has a runtime caller; every released version has a migration; bounded latency | FR-110/FR-111 burn-down meta-test; FR-113 Cat-7 shrinkage; NFR-002 latency budget preserved |
| E — Dependency hygiene | Dependency manifests exact; retired packages stay retired | NO CHANGE this mission — boundary preserved |
WP12 lands tests/architectural/README.md documenting this model (FR-300, AC-14).
6. Open follow-ups (NOT this mission)
- URL / package source for org packs (NEW-1 deferral)
- Skill deployment migration + drift gate (MED-1; the "operator-surface hygiene" mission)
- HIGH-4 policy.audit wiring (separate mission per spec §"Overview")
- Most of MED-4 orphans (per spec §"Overview"; remaining orphans go to a triage mission)
- Auth-transport deletion (Robert's call per C-005)
- Multi-branch workflow action graphs (RR-9 forward-compat hook only this mission)
7. References
- Spec: spec.md
- Plan: plan.md
- Data model: data-model.md
- Contracts: contracts/
- ATDD coverage: atdd-coverage.md
- Quickstart: quickstart.md
- Decision artifacts: decisions/DM-01KRX6N0YAFBY7MTJC0CN3D3E4.md
- Mission B planning artifacts: ../charter-mediated-doctrine-selection-01KRTZCA/
- Gitignored research:
work/remediation-mission-debrief.md,work/ratchet-coherence-audit.md,work/mission-c-slice-f-scope-proposal.md